ach

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ach"

Languages (22)

Translingual • English

---

Central Franconian • Chuukese • Cimbrian • Dutch • Esperanto • German • Irish • Kashubian • Lithuanian • Middle Low German • North Frisian • Old Polish • Peranakan Indonesian • Polish • Scots • Scottish Gaelic • Silesian • Slovincian • Temascaltepec Nahuatl • Welsh

---

Page categories

Translingual

Etymology

Clipping of English Acholi.

Symbol

ach

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Acholi.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Acholi terms

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English ache, from Old French ache, from Latin apium (“parsley”).

Alternative forms

• ache

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æt͡ʃ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

ach (plural aches)

1. (obsolete) Any of several species of plants, such as smallage, wild celery, parsley.

Derived terms

• lovage
• smallage

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æx/, /ɑx/, /əx/

Interjection

ach

1. An expression of annoyance.
   • 1958, Anthony Burgess, The Enemy in the Blanket (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972:

     "Ach." Auntie frowned hugely. "That is all nonsense."

2. An expression of woe or regret.
3. Alternative form of och.

Usage notes

Used in Scottish English.

Anagrams

• -cha, CAH, CHA, Cha, HAC, HCA, cah, cha

Central Franconian

Alternative forms

• aacht (Moselle Franconian)
• aach (Ripuarian)

Etymology

From Middle High German ahte, from Old High German ahto, from Proto-West Germanic *ahtō, from Proto-Germanic *ahtōu, from Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑx/

Numeral

ach

1. (Limburgan Ripuarian) eight (numerical value represented by the Arabic numeral 8; or describing a set with eight elements)

Derived terms

• Ach
• achmoal

Related terms

• achtsieg
• achtsing

Further reading

• “ach” in d'r nuie Kirchröadsjer Dieksiejoneer 2nd ed., 2017.

Chuukese

Determiner

ach

1. First-person plural inclusive general possessive; our (inclusive)

Related terms

Chuukese possessive determiners

		small objects, concepts	large objects, living things	suffix
singular	first person	ai	nei	-ei
	second person	omw, om	noum	-om
	third person	an	noun	-an
plural	first person	äm (exclusive) ach (inclusive)	nöu̇m (exclusive) nöüch (inclusive)	-em (exclusive) -ach (inclusive)
	second person	ämi, ami	noumi	-emi
	third person	ar	nour	-er

Cimbrian

Alternative forms

• òich (plural you only)

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronoun

ach

1. (Sette Comuni) accusative of iart: you (plural; polite singular)

See also

Cimbrian personal pronouns

		nominative	accusative	dative
1st person singular		ich	mich	miar
2nd person singular	familiar	du	dich	diar
	polite	iart	ach	òich
3rd person singular	m	èar, ar	in, en	iime
	f	zi, ze		iar
	n	es, is	es, 's	iime
1st person plural		bar, bandare	zich	izàndarn
2nd person plural		iart, iartàndare, artàndare	òich, ach	ogàndarn
3rd person plural		ze, zòi, zandare	zich	innàndarn

References

• “ach” in Martalar, Umberto Martello; Bellotto, Alfonso (1974), Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch ach. Compare Old Saxon ah, Old Dutch ah.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑx/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ach
• Rhymes: -ɑx

Interjection

ach

1. oh (expression of compassion, surprise and dismay)

Descendants

• Afrikaans: ag
• → Papiamentu: ag
• → Peranakan Indonesian: ach
  • >? Indonesian: ah

References

• van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “ach”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute

Esperanto

Interjection

ach

1. H-system spelling of aĉ

German

Etymology

From Middle High German ach, from Old High German ah.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ax/

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ax

Interjection

ach

1. oh, alas (expressing surprise, sorrow, or understanding)
   • 1808, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “Vor dem Thor”, in Faust: Der Tragödie erster Teil [Faust, Part One]‎^[1]; republished as Bayard Taylor, transl., 1870:

     Zwey Seelen wohnen, ach! in meiner Brust, / Die eine will sich von der andern trennen;

     Two souls, alas! reside within my breast, / And each withdraws from, and repels, its brother.

2. oh (preceding an offhand or annoyed remark)
3. oh (preceding an invocation or address, but rarely a solemn one)

Derived terms

• ach du heilige Scheiße
• ach du liebe Güte
• ach du lieber Gott
• ach du Scheiße
• ach je
• ach so
• ächzen

Descendants

• Danish: ah
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ah, a
• Yiddish: אַך (akh)

Further reading

• “ach” in Duden online
• Friedrich Kluge (1883), “ach”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891
• “ach”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[2] (in German)

Irish

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Aran) IPA^(key): /ɑx/
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /ax/, [aːx]
• (Mayo) IPA^(key): /ax/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ax/, /ah/
• Homophone: each

Etymology 1

From Old Irish acht (“but, except”), from Proto-Celtic *extos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs.

Alternative forms

• acht (obsolete)

Conjunction

ach

1. but

Preposition

ach (plus nominative, triggers no mutation)

1. except, but

Derived terms

• ach oiread (“as well”) (after a negative)

Adverb

ach

1. but, only, merely

Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic.

Alternative forms

• ách

Interjection

ach!

1. ah! och! ugh!

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “ach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959), “ach”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “ach”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2026

Kashubian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Slavic *axъ

Kashubian ach

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *axъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈax/
• Rhymes: -ax
• Syllabification: ach

Interjection

ach

1. ah! expresses surprise, fear, pleasure, sadness, sudden understanding

Further reading

• Stefan Ramułt (1893), “aχ!”, in Słownik języka pomorskiego czyli kaszubskiego (in Kashubian), page 2
• Sychta, Bernard (1967), “aχ!”, in Słownik gwar kaszubskich [Dictionary of Kashubian dialects] (in Polish), volumes 1 (A – Ǵ), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 3
• Jan Trepczyk (1994), “ach!”, in Słownik polsko-kaszubski (in Kashubian), volumes 1–2
• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011), “ach!”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎^[3]
• “ach!”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022

Lithuanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Polish ach.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [²ˈɑːx]
  • Rhymes: -²ɑːx
  • Syllabification: ãch
• IPA^(key): [ˈɐx]
  • Rhymes: -ɐx
  • Syllabification: àch

Interjection

ãch or àch (archaic)

1. o (used to address someone or a group)

Further reading

• Wojciech Smoczyński (2018), “ach”, in Lithuanian Etymological Dictionary, Berlin, Germany: Peter Lang, →DOI, →ISBN, page 4

Middle Low German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑx/, [ax], [ɑχ]

Interjection

ach

1. oh (an expression of grievance or displeasure)

North Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian achta. Compare West Frisian acht.

Numeral

ach

1. (Heligoland) eight

Old Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Slavic *axъ

Old Polish ach

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *axъ. First attested in the 14th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /ax/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ax/

Interjection

ach

1. (attested in Silesia) ah! expresses surprise
   • 1915 [End of the 15th century], Jan Łoś, editor, Przegląd językowych zabytków staropolskich do r. 1543‎^[4], page 315:

     Ach boze moy, pomozy my

     [Ach Boże moj, pomoży mi]

   • 1915 [Middle of the 15th century], Jan Łoś, editor, Przegląd językowych zabytków staropolskich do r. 1543‎^[5], page 514:

     Ach nyestocze proch dolor

     [Ach niestocie proch dolor]

   • 1885-2024 [End of the 15th century], Jan Baudouina de Courtenay, Jan Karłowicz, Antoni Adam Kryńskiego, Malinowski Lucjan, editors, Prace Filologiczne‎^[6], volume III, Wrocław, page 289:

     Ach gelacze heu

     [Ach jełacie heu]

   • Middle of the 15th century, Rozmyślanie o żywocie Pana Jezusa‎^[7], page 56:

     Takoż płakał rzekąc: Ach mnie nędznemu

     [Takoż płakał rzekąc: Ach mnie nędznemu]

Descendants

• Polish: ach
• Silesian: ach
• → Lithuanian: ach

References

• Boryś, Wiesław (2005), “ach”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN
• Sławski, Franciszek (1958-1965), “ach”, in Jan Safarewicz, Andrzej Siudut, editors, Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego [Etymological dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), Kraków: Towarzystwo Miłośników Języka Polskiego
• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “ach”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Peranakan Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch ach (“oh”).

Interjection

ach

1. oh, expresses compassion, surprise and dismay

   Ach, ia laen tida minta doeit. ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Descendants

• >? Indonesian: ah

Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Slavic *axъ

Old Polish ach

Polish ach

Inherited from Old Polish ach.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈax/

• (Middle Polish) IPA^(key): /ax/, /ɒx/
• (Masovia):
  • (Ostróda) IPA^(key): [ˈax]
  • (Warmia) IPA^(key): [ˈax]
  • (Masuria) IPA^(key): [ˈax]

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ax
• Syllabification: ach

Interjection

ach

1. ah! expresses surprise, fear, pleasure, sadness, sudden understanding

   Synonyms: och, ojej, ależ

Derived terms

adjective

• ach i och

interjections

• (Middle Polish) achcie
• (Middle Polish) achcież

noun

• achy i ochy

verbs

• achać impf, achnąć pf

Further reading

• “ach”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[8] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “ach”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[9] (in Polish)
• Maria Renata Mayenowa; Stanisław Rospond; Witold Taszycki; Stefan Hrabec; Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023), “ach, ah”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
• Krystyna Siekierska (08.06.2022), “ACH”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century]
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814), “ach”, in Słownik języka polskiego, volume 1, pages 3-4
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861), “ach”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “ach”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 6
• Zofia Stamirowska (1987-2024), “ach”, in Anna Basara, editor, Słownik gwar Ostródzkiego, Warmii i Mazur, volume 1, Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich Wydawnictwo Polskiej Akademii Nauk, →ISBN, pages 112-113

Scots

Etymology

In imitation of a cry.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑx/

Interjection

ach

1. An exclamation of impatience, disappointment, contempt, remonstrance.
2. expression of satisfaction or pleasure.

References

• “ach, int.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ax/
• (Skye) IPA^(key): /ɔx/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish acht (“but, except”), from Proto-Celtic *extos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs-tos.

Conjunction

ach

1. but

   Thèid mise ach cha tèid thusa. ― I'll go but you won't [go].

2. except, only

   Cha robh ann ach trì daoine. ― There were only three people (literally "there was not there but/except for three people").

Etymology 2

Shortened form of feuch.

Conjunction

ach

1. so that

   Dh'aontaich e ach am biodh adhartas air choireigin ann. ― He agreed so that there would be some progress.

Silesian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Slavic *axъ

Old Polish ach

Silesian ach

Inherited from Old Polish ach.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈax/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ax
• Syllabification: ach

Interjection

ach

1. ah! expresses surprise, fear, pleasure, sadness, sudden understanding

Further reading

• ach in silling.org
• Henryk Jaroszewicz (2022), “ach”, in Zasady pisowni języka śląskiego (in Polish), Siedlce: Wydawnictwo Naukowe IKR[i]BL, page 61
• Aleksandra Wencel (2023), “ach!”, in Dykcjůnôrz ślų̊sko-polski, page 7

Slovincian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Slavic *axъ

Slovincian ach

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *axъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈax/
• Rhymes: -ax
• Syllabification: ach

Interjection

ach

1. ah! expresses surprise, fear, pleasure, sadness, sudden understanding

Further reading

• Lorentz, Friedrich (1908), “ãχ!”, in Slovinzisches Wörterbuch‎^[10] (in German), volume 1, Saint Petersburg: ОРЯС ИАН, page 2

Temascaltepec Nahuatl

Adverb

ach

1. maybe

Welsh

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *akkā, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekkeh₂ (compare Latin Acca (Larentia), a Roman goddess, Ancient Greek Ἀκκώ (Akkṓ, “nurse of Demeter”), Sanskrit अक्का (akkā, “mother”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aːχ/
• Rhymes: -aːχ

Noun

ach f (plural achau or achoedd)

1. kinship
2. pedigree, ancestry
3. (in the plural) lineage
4. (in the plural) genealogy, family roots

Derived terms

• achres (“genealogical table”)
• achydd (“genealogist”)
• achyddiaeth (“genealogy”)
• achyddol (“genealogical”)
• ers achau (“for ages”)

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

och, ych

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aχ/

Interjection

ach

1. yuck

Derived terms

ach-y-fi

Mutation

Mutated forms of ach

radical	soft	nasal	h-prothesis
ach	unchanged	unchanged	hach

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “ach”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies